A funny thing happened to Paul Rodriguez as he returns to telling jokes on the Strip.

He became one of comedy’s elder statesmen.

“Now, with the passing of guys like Don Rickles and so many others, you wake up one day and you’re the old guy,” says the 62-year-old Rodriguez, who has been performing in Las Vegas since the late-1980s. “So now I’m telling audiences, ‘Back in the day, my microphone was made out of wood!’ That’s how bad it was!’”

Rodriguez is making another pass through town as the host of “Latin Kings of Comedy” on Friday and Saturday night at Tropicana Theater. Rodriguez is joined by touring partners Joey Medina, Manny Maldonado and Gene Pompa.

The show also coincides with the heavy Latin turnout for Cinco de Mayo weekend and the upcoming Canelo Alvarez-Julio Cesar Chavez bout Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. “Latin Kings” also lauches the “Laugh Factory Concert Series” at the Trop, top draws who will complement the Laugh Factory’s lineup of club pros.

The shows mark a return to the very room in which Rodriguez attempted a residency in 2010. “The Whole Enchilada” ran for about a month, a noble effort during which Rodriguez added a Spanish-speaking matinee as he tried to improve sales.

“Nothing worked for us in Vegas back then,” says Rodriguez, who is going English exclusively this weekend. “It was a tough room for us.”

Rodriguez has since crafted a highly successful career as a film and TV actor and in stand-up. He’s working with Cheech Marin, his co-star in the 1987 film “Born in East L.A.,” and his son, Paul Rodriguez Jr. (aka “P-Rod”) on a sitcom for NBC. Marin plays a retired cop, and Rodriguez portrays “a guy who has retired from nothing.” The three are housemates in the yet-untitled series.

“I have wanted to work with Cheech again since ‘Born in East L.A.,’ ” Rodriguez says. “My kid, I dunno. He’s great at everything I’m not great at, which means he is great at everything. I’m just along for the ride.”

In the “Latin Kings” engagement, advance advertising of the show boasts that the threesome “have been touring and bringing down the house and bringing down the wall with their caliente comedy.” So expect a certain level of topical humor from the lineup, though Rodriguez himself is cautious about alienating his audiences.

“I have never seen our country so divided, so much division, everywhere,” says Rodriguez, who steers clear of political messaging in his stand-up act even as he has supported the presidential candidacies of Mitt Romney and Donald Trump. “Personally, I took a lot of heat for my views, and I’ve never been a political guy onstage or push for a particular candidate during my act. But with Trump, we chose the lesser of two evils and we should respect our system.

“I just stay away from political or presidential jokes. They’ll kill with one audience, but piss off another one.”

Di Domenico’s Donald dominates

On the topic of Laugh Factory, Vegas comic John Di Domenico captured the top spot in the comedy club’s international Donald Trump impersonators competition last Wednesday night in L.A.

“I won, I won. I just keep winning. That’s what I do, I win. That’s all I do,” Di Domenico, as Trump, said from the stage. The 10 finalists arrived from international outposts including Iran and New Zealand. Among the judges was “Saturday Night Live” alum Darrell Hammond, who was also a judge when Di Domenico prevailed in the semifinal round on the morning TV show “The View.”

Di Domenico’s award for winning the contest is hosting a weekly show on the Laugh Factory’s website, “Fake News/Real News,” and performing at Laugh Factory outlets. He’s yet to have booked a show in Las Vegas.

Amazing Tat action

Find this on The Amazing Johnathan’s Instagram page: A fan has tattooed the upper half of the great comic-magician’s face to her left forearm, showing his famous, raised-eyebrow expression. He met the woman during his weekend gig at the Orlando Improv Comedy Club and posed with her forearm across his forehead. It’s an inventive, abeit spooky, effect.

Here comes Chum

Head’s up for news this week on Austin “Chumlee” Russell, co-star of “Pawn Stars” on History. The show has finished its 13th season and the cast — Richard, Rick and Corey Harrison and Chumlee — have yet to be informed if History will pick up the show’s 14th season. The series debuted in 2009. Rick and Corey Harrison, especially, have been seeking ventures outside the TV show for when it inevitably ends.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.

Eric Wynalda, coach of the Las Vegas Lights FC soccer team, talks about losing his home in the deadly California wildfires during an interview in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Nov. 17, 2018. (Ron Kantowski/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Women face issues from Essure birth control implants

DeVonna "Kat" Normand said she had complications from the Essure birth control implants. Normand uses her Sin City Heat show at 22.3 TakeOver Vegas Radio internet radio station in Las Vegas as a platform to raise awareness about Essure and connect with other women who have used the device. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto

Truancy and Clark County schools

Tony Stark, one of 23 attendance officers with the Clark County School District, have a tall order tracking down students who aren't in school.

North Las Vegas Water Meters

Randy DeVaul shows off the new water meters that the city is installing.

Project 150 Thanksgiving 2018

About 100 volunteers for Project 150 box Thanksgiving meals for high school students and their families in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Nov. 14.

This year the park will be celebrating the Northern Flicker. The program is designed to teach about that bird, and encourage people to visit the Wetlands and walk the same distance the bird migrates each year.

Charles and Doris Smith talk about the night an apartment fire took the lives of three of their family members. (Marcus Villagran/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @marcusvillagran

New York artist Bobby Jacobs donated a sculpture to the Las Vegas Healing Garden

Bobby Jacobs, an artist from upstate New York, has spent much of the past year creating a sculpture of two separate angel wings. He donated the sculpture to the Las Vegas Healing Garden. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye

Weather will cool slightly through the end of the week

The weather will cool slightly through the end of the week., but highs are still expected to be slightly above normal for this year. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye

Mayor announces new public-private partnership

Mayor Carolyn Goodman announced the creation of the Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE, a public-private partnership that will allocate money to the city’s neediest.

Casino heir Ted Binion died in this Las Vegas home in 1998. Current home owner Jane Popple spent over $600,000 to restore and modernize the home. (Marcus Villagran/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @marcusvillagran

Rescue Mission employees terminated

Don James, a former employee for the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, talks about the day his team was terminated. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Raiders Cupcakes at Freed's Bakery

Freed's Bakery will have Raiders-themed cupcakes available in store and for order during football season. (Marcus Villagran/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @marcusvillagran

The more than 3,000-room Bellagio hotel is situated on the site of the former Dunes Hotel. The Dunes was imploded in 1993, and construction of the Bellagio started in 1996. It cost $1.6 billion to build, making it the most expensive hotel in the world at the time. The Bellagio was former Wynn Resorts Ltd. Chairman and CEO Steve Wynn’s second major casino on the Strip after The Mirage. MGM Resorts International acquired the property from Steve Wynn in 2000. (Tara Mack/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Country superstar Jason Aldean discusses his feelings about playing in Las Vegas and says he'd be interested in a Las Vegas residency when the time is right at the iHeart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas on September 21, 2018.(John Katsilometes/Las Vegas Review-Journal)